Forever Love
by whitepolaris
Summary: He was my everything, but then he disappeared. I forgot about him, but then he appeared again. ItachixOC
1. Chapter 1

I don't own any of the Naruto characters and this is my first time writing a fanfiction so go easy on me ok? =)

I just wanted to try and see if this works...so plz don't flame me if it doesn't.

Also, I changed the original story...because I really liked Itachi and I didn't like his role and fate in the actual story that much =( So he doesn't kill his entire family.

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It was the perfect day. The weather was amazing: clear blue skies with the sun shining steadily, no wind and the temperature just right. I smiled to myself as I glanced around me, satisfaction swelling up inside me. Today was perfect. I glanced sideways at my best friend, Yuri, who was walking beside me. Her pretty green eyes were downcast and a frown marred her face.

"Yuri, let's have some fun today!" I said determinedly. My mission today was to finally bring my friend out of her recent depression and the market was the perfect place to do so.

Yuri gave me a small smile. She could tell what I was thinking.

"Thanks Aya," she said gently. Suddenly, Yuri froze, her gaze fixed on something behind me. Confused, I turned around; searching for what Yuri was looking at. My eyes fell upon a black haired shinobi and narrowed.

Uchiha Itachi.

As if he read my mind, Uchiha's head turned towards Yuri and I. Beside me, Yuri let out a small gasp and ran. I glared at him for a split second more before I tore off after her.

Damn Uchiha.

I followed Yuri down the street until we came upon the bridge over the river. There, she stopped and throwing herself on the ground, she started to cry.

"Yuri!" I exclaimed, kneeling down beside her.

"A-Aya," she sobbed. "What do I do? I love him!"

I was silent. My personal experience with relationships was less than zero so when it came to boy problems, I was clueless. Frantically searching through my memory, I tried to remember what Kurenai had told me: nothing came to mind. I always tuned out when she talked about this sort of stuff. Mentally cursing my stupidity, I forced myself to say something.

"It's alright Yuri, you can do better than him," I said awkwardly. Yuri laughed through her tears.

"Typical Aya, s-saying something like that," she muttered. I gave her a confused look and she laughed more.

"It's j-just like you to not pay attention to guys. Itachi-kun's the best shinobi in Konoha. There's no one better than him."

"Yeah right," I snorted. "Kakashi-san's amazing too."

Yuri shook her head. "Itachi-kun's better."

"Well even if he's a genius, he's got a pretty horrible personality," I muttered. Yuri shook her head again.

"You're prejudiced Aya," she laughed. I was relieved to see she had stopped crying.

"Well you can't expect me to like someone who rejected my best friend," I reasoned.

"Itachi-kun...is amazing," Yuri signed and smiled when she saw my sceptical look. "He's kind, strong, loyal and everything anyone's ever wanted in a man."

"And you call me prejudiced," I teased. "I think you're just blinded by his looks."

"At least you admit he's good looking," she grinned.

"I never denied it," I replied smoothly. "But it doesn't make him anymore likable."

"Let's go to the Academy," Yuri laughed, getting up. "We promised Iruka-san we'd help him today."

"Alright," I agreed as we both got up.

"Aya?"

I stopped walking and glanced back at Yuri.

"Thanks."

I glared at the Uchiha who was sitting across from me. He returned my gaze with steadily, a small hint of amusement evident in his otherwise emotionless face.

"I refuse," I snarled, turning to the Hokage. My grandfather sighed.

"It's an order Aya. You and Itachi-kun will work together to organize the Chunin Exams this year," Sarutobi said.

"Why with him?" I pointed rudely at the Uchiha.

"Because Itachi-kun has experience organizing this before," the Hokage replied.

"Then, why me?" I snapped.

"Because although he is perfectly capable, I don't want to place too much burden on him. Two people organizing it will be easier. And because I trust your abilities," Ji-chan added as an afterthought. I snorted but I admit, the compliment appeased me slightly. Ji-chan's approval meant a lot to me.

"Fine," I growled, getting up. "Let's go _Uchiha_."

I walked out of the room, not bothering to check if he followed. I made my way out of the building before I turned around. Sure enough, Uchiha was standing there.

"Let me make one thing perfectly clear before we work on this thing," I declared. "_I hate you._"

"That's slightly unreasonable. I don't think we've ever talked before," his voice hinted at amusement. I couldn't help but notice the deep and velvety tone of his voice and mentally scolded myself.

"So? Maybe you're so contemptible that you make people hate you without even doing anything," I snapped. "Maybe your very existence is annoying."

The moment those words came out, I regretted them. Sure I hated him but I was brought up properly. I knew when I was crossing the line.

His eyes hardened and he was silent for a moment.

"I think that before we work together, we need to resolve your hatred towards me first," he said. "I think I have a right to know why you hate me so much."

I considered ignoring him and walking away but the guilt of my previous statement made me stay .

"You rejected Yuri."

Surprised showed on his face for a split second. Whatever he had been expecting, it wasn't this.

"So you hate me because I didn't accept your friend's confession," he said slowly. I nodded.

"Aya-sama, Yuri-san is an extremely nice girl," Uchiha murmured. "But we are not compatible."

"Do you know how much she suffered because of you?" I demanded. "How much she cried? How hurt she was?"

"I think that's slightly unfair," he said, looking at me steadily. The overwhelming force of his dark ebony eyes surprised me and I fought down a blush.

"How so?" I demanded. My voice was harsher than I intended for it to be because of my own anger at myself.

"Think about it," Uchiha said softly. "I wouldn't be doing her a favour by accepting her when I don't see her that way. In the end, she'll be the one to get hurt."

I struggled for a response.

"You'll never know!" I blurted out. "Maybe you'll like her in the end!"

"But before I do so, it is extremely rude of me to lead her on," he reasoned. I huffed but didn't contradict him.

"So now do you hate me any less?"

"No," I replied. "But I'll tolerate you."

Uchiha gave a small chuckle. It was so quiet that I almost missed it.

"I'll walk you home Aya-sama," he offered.

"No thank you," I retorted. "Save those manners for the other delicate young girls who have unfortunately fallen for your evil charms. I can take care of myself."

"Ah...I have charms do I?" his tone was amused.

"For lack of a better word," I shot back. "Actually, more like evil spells."

"And my spells seem to work on everyone except for you."

"Because I'm smarter than most people."

"I'll keep that in mind. Allow me to walk you home Aya-sama," Uchiha's tone was gentle but firm. I thought about arguing but thought better of it. Turning my head, I started to walk home. He followed behind me silently. I couldn't help but admire his stealth. He was so quiet that sometimes I doubted whether or not he was actually behind me. The moment I thought that, he'd let out a small cough or make some other small noise.

It was almost as if he could read my mind. Scary. No wonder he was called a genius. After a while, we reached my house. Arranging my features in a scowl, I turned around.

"Satisfied?"

"I will be after you're actually safely inside the house," he replied.

My scowl deepened as a plunged my hand into my pocket and took out my keeps. I unlocked my door, opened it and made a great show of stepping into my house before I looked at him again. Sticking my tongue out at him, I slammed the door in his face.

"Ugh!" I groaned. I was feeling guilty again. "Stupid, stupid temper."

"Nee-chan!"

I felt something around my torso. Looking down, I saw my brother Konohamaru hugging me.

Smiling, I patted his head.

"You're late Nee-chan!" He scowled. "Ebisu-sensei's boring."

"Well then since your sister is back, I'll be leaving," Ebisu-san came out into the hallway.

"Thanks Ebisu-san," I smiled apologetically. "You're always babysitting him."

"It's alright Aya-sama," Ebisu-san bowed as he opened the door. He then left, quietly closing the door behind him.

"You have to show him respect Konohamaru," I scolded as we went upstairs.

"But he's a big pervert!" my brother replied stubbornly.

"Even so, you have to show respect to your peers and especially your teachers, no matter how much you dislike them," I explained as I went into the bathroom. Then, remembering the way I had treated Uchiha, guilt swelled up in me again.

"I don't dislike Ebisu-san!" Konohamaru protested as I filled the bathtub.

"Then start treating him with respect alright? Or else people will start saying that Nee-chan and Ji-chan didn't raise you properly," I smiled.

Konohamaru nodded solemnly as I undressed him.

"There, now off you go into the bath," I declared. Grinning, my brother jumped into the bathtub, splashing water everywhere.

"Konohamaru!" I exclaimed, wiping water from my face. "What have I told you about splashing?"

He beamed at me. Sighing, I left the washroom, dripping with water.

I headed to the washroom connected to my room and began to draw up a bath for myself. Once I was relaxing in the warm waters, I finally allowed myself to confront the guilt that had been nagging at me.

Stupid Uchiha.

Somehow, every time I looked at him, the anger I felt at Yuri's rejection would flare. I understood now that he had done the right thing but that didn't make it any less painful for Yuri. I remembered his amusement when I had glared at him and how he was seemingly able to read my mind.

He had a way of making people feel completely exposed. As if he knew everything about you. I shuddered and slid deeper into the warm water. I'll start being nicer to him tomorrow...for the sake of the Chunin Exams and also, my own conscience.

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Please review!


	2. Chapter 2

Here we go again!

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"I don't need bodyguards."

"It's for your own safety Aya-sama."

I glared across the table at Uchiha, who gazed steadily back in what I called his "trademark stare". Stubborn, steadfast and always, always, a hint of amusement.

"Look, I've survived all these years without anyone trying to murder me. I am perfectly capable to managing myself during the exams. If you want to protect anyone, protect Ji-san and Konohamaru," I snapped.

"Both the Hokage-sama and Konohamaru-sama are ninjas, albeit your brother is young. But they are still more capable to defending themselves than you are," Uchiha's tone was patient, like he was explaining something to a child. This made me madder.

"Look, I know I'm not a ninja. But I _am _ the Third's granddaughter," I scowled.

"No one denies that Aya-_sama_," Uchiha said dryly.

"Fine!" I said exasperated. "One bodyguard."

"Three."

I glared at him. "Two."

"Deal," he smirked. I gaped at him.

"You tricked me!" I shrieked, pointing a finger at him.

"You are unexpectedly easy to trick for someone who's smarter than most people Aya-sama," he replied smoothly.

I continued to glare at him. After I'd sworn to be nicer than him, we managed to get along somewhat while planning the Chunin Exams. I admit, he was a genius. Everything he did was flawless. He didn't even need me there at all.

Everything went alright until this final moment. Our last task was designating bodyguards to the important people of the village during the Exams.

"I will send two Anbu to escort you when the Sand arrives," Uchiha said, writing something down on a scroll. I watched him, secretly admiring the neatness of his writing. Perfect in every way.

Suddenly, I had an idea.

"What if I had a bodyguard that was better than two Anbu?" I demanded. There was no way I was going to be the only one suffering.

"Like...?" he asked.

"You."

He glanced at me in surprise.

"I was under the impression that Aya-sama hated me and would like to see me as little as possible," his tone was amused again. "You understand that if I am your bodyguard, you would have to see me every single second of every single day for a week. Besides, I am hardly better than two Anbu."

"You know, modesty doesn't really suit you," I lied. Modesty suited him alright. It made him all the more pleasant and genius-like. "Passing the Chunin Exams at age ten? Becoming an Anbu Captain at age thirteen? Do I need to list anymore accomplishments or records?"

"That doesn't answer my question about you hating me though," he mused.

"Who said I hated you?" I smiled sweetly.

"I think it's an excellent idea," said a voice from the door.

I looked up to see Ji-chan. Uchiha stood up and bowed.

"Itachi-kun, you will be Aya's bodyguard for Exams," the Hokage smiled.

"Hai," Uchiha bowed again.

"Why are you here Ji-chan?" I asked.

"I was passing by your office and happened to overhear your conversation," the Hokage replied. "I'll be leaving now. Itachi-kun, please come by my office later on."

"Bye Ji-chan!" I waved as he left and turned to Uchiha, grinning. "Let's get along bodyguard-san."

He raised an eyebrow at me.

"Is there a reason for this?"

"Not really," I shrugged. "I just thought I'd get revenge you know? You're forcing me to have bodyguards so then you have to take on the job yourself."

"Aya-sama...that is extremely childish," he sighed.

"You could always leave you know...I won't tell Ji-chan if you want to skip on bodyguard duty," I said hopefully, ignoring his remark.

"You wish," he snorted.

"I do wish," I shot back.

He chuckled but didn't reply. Instead, he started to work again. Following his lead, I picked up the forms I had been filling out. We worked in silence for a few more hours, until it was dinner time.

"Time to go!" I yawned, putting down my pen and organizing the files that lay strewn across the desk between us.

"I'll –"

" – walk me home, I know," I sighed. Uchiha shot me another one of his trademark looks. After we finished organizing our desk, we left the office.

"I have to see Hokage-sama first," he told me. I nodded and followed him up the stairs to Ji-chan's office. I waited outside while he went in.

Leaning out of the window in the hallway, I mentally reflected on the progress that Uchiha and I had made. The planning was almost finished. We just needed to finalize a few more things before shinobi from other villages arrive next week. I was confident that the organization for this Chunin Exam was perfect and though I'd never admit it, a large amount of confidence came from the fact that Uchiha was my partner.

He might not have been the best guy for Yuri to like but when it came to work, he was faultless and grudgingly, I'd gained quite a bit of respect for him.

Still, his perfection irked me sometimes and I made it a little game to find something imperfect about him while we were working together. However, I was beginning to think that my efforts were futile. Four weeks had passed and nothing. I doubted I'd find anything in the next two weeks.

"Aya-sama."

Startled, I spun around to see Uchiha look at me with his usual hint of amusement.

"You're done?" I asked as we started walking out of the building.

"Hai."

"What was it about?"

"..."

"Fine. Be that way," I muttered grumpily. We continued on in silence.

"My father invited the Hokage-sama to dinner tonight," he said suddenly. I blinked.

"Well there's nothing unusual about that..." I shrugged as I made a move to turn left at a intersection. Uchiha gently grabbed my arm.

"Not that way today Aya-sama. Hokage-sama said that he is unable to come today so you will take his place," he explained.

"Me?" I asked, surprised. "But doesn't one of the Elders usually go in Ji-chan's place?"

Uchiha nodded. He was frowning ever so slightly and I could tell he was thinking hard.

"Okay, spill it Uchiha. What's going on?" I demanded. It was his turn to look surprised.

"How-"

"I've been around you for a month and unfortunately, seen you enough to last a lifetime," I retorted. "I can read you to a certain extent."

He pondered this information for a second before answering.

"This morning when I left the house...my father hinted that maybe the Hokage-sama would be unable to come. He also hinted that you would be coming in his place."

"Your father knew that this would happen?" I raised an eyebrow. "Are they planning something with Ji-chan?"

"I have a theory," Uchiha admitted.

"And...that theory is...?"

"I don't want to tell you until it's confirmed," Uchiha shook his head as he motioned for me to follow him.

"Jerk," I muttered. I knew him well enough by now to not pester him.

"My family will be there. Along with other more distinguished members of the Clan," Uchiha continued, ignoring my comment.

"Is your Clan as stuffy as the Hyuuga Clan?" I asked. "Last time Ji-chan took me along with him to one of their dinners, I never wanted to go to another clan dinner again. I felt so sorry for that girl."

"She was born as the clan heir. It is the duty of all heirs to support their clan," Uchiha sighed.

"Including yours..." I said softly, suddenly realizing that Uchiha was the heir to his clan as well. I knew it all along but it never really occurred to me that he was actually.

He smiled a little at my change in tone.

"I don't mind it Aya-sama," he murmured.

"Have you ever not wanted to be the heir?" I asked suddenly.

He hesitated slightly.

"I..."

I felt something drop on my nose and then on my cheek. It was raining.

Suddenly, something was covering my head. Uchiha had taken off his jacket and put it over me.

"Wait, you're only wearing a t-shirt!" I protested, making a move to give the jacket back to him. He readjusted the jacket so that it covered my head.

"Aya-sama," Uchiha said, kneeling in front of me with his back facing towards me. "Get on."

"No thank you," I replied as the rain came down harder.

"Aya-sama, I will be punished if you get a cold," Uchiha sighed. "Please."

I considered refusing but if he got punished because of me...Sighing, I climbed onto his back and wrapped my arms around his neck. He picked me up and took off at a sprint.

The first thing I noticed was that his back was comfortable..._very comfortable._ It was broad and warm, a sharp contrast with the cold rain.

It was pouring now and I buried my face into his back, trying to keep the rain off of my face. Then, I noticed a fresh scent...like the forest in the morning after a night of rain.

Damn Uchiha. He had a perfect back and he even smelt perfect.

His running had us at the main Uchiha compound in two minutes but we were still drenched. A maid let us in and once we were safely inside, he gently put me down.

"Aya-sama, it is a pleasure to have you here."

I looked up and saw Uchiha Fugaku and Uchiha Mikoto standing in the hallway.

"Pleased to meet you," I bowed.

"We have prepared a change of clothing for you," Mikoto smiled. She indicated for me to follow her and I did but not before turning to Uchiha. My words died in my throat as I remembered, only when I turned around, that he was completely soaked. Thankfully, his shirt was dark so it wasn't see through but the wet material still clung to his body, making his finely sculpted muscles completely obvious.

"Thanks," I muttered and quickly ran after Mikoto, fighting down the blush that was threatening to rise up.

"I'm sorry that we did not send someone to pick you up," Mikoto said as I caught up to her. "We didn't expect it to rain so much today."

"It's alright...Uchiha-san got us here pretty quickly," I explained. I smiled at her but on the inside, I was confused. They prepared clothing for me because of the rain but they didn't know that it would rain? Since Mikoto didn't have any daughters, it seemed highly unlikely that she would have girl clothing lying around just anywhere. Maybe it was just her clothing from when she was younger.

She led me down a series of hallways until we stopped in front of a door.

"Your clothing is in here. We will begin dinner after you are ready Aya-sama," Mikoto smiled. I thanked her and went into the room.

As expected, the decorations were top notch. The room was furnished lavishly but not excessively. It was perfect.

"Does perfection run in their family...?" I wondered out loud as I reached for the neatly stacked pile of clothing in the middle of the room.

"This..." I frowned as I fingered the material. Again, top quality but the kimono gave off the sense of being new. It couldn't have been Mikoto's old clothing then and the material was much to fine to belong to any maid.

I continued to think about it while I dressed but still didn't come up with a solution when I had finished. Sighing, I opened the door to go to dinner.

All of a sudden, I realized I had no idea where the dining room was. I looked at the hallways that seemed to expand for ages.

"Rich people," I sighed, shaking my head.

"This way."

I yelped out loud and jerked my head around to see Uchiha leaning against the wall.

"Kaa-sama sent me to get you," he explained, straightening up.

"Oh..." I avoided his eyes as I followed him down the hall. He didn't say anything and the awkward silence was becoming too much for me.

"This kimono..." I began, unsure of how to articulate my speculations.

"You noticed?" He sighed.

"I told you, I'm smarter than most people," I retorted.

"Forgive me." He gave me a small apologetic smile which quickly turned to a frown. "It confirms my suspicious."

"Which are..."

"Not yet," Uchiha shook his head. "I need more proof."

"You're really annoying you know," I growled.

"I'm sorry," he gave a small chuckle. "I thought I had redeemed myself slightly in your eyes."

"What gave you that idea?"

"You said 'thank you'," his voice was soft. I blushed, turning my head away from him.

"So? I have manners you know."

"I'll keep that in mind," he grinned, his tone back to normal. Relieved, I snuck a glance at him. It was his usual expression.

I relaxed. Somehow, his previous tone made me feel all tingly and self-conscious. We continued the rest of the walk in silence. When we arrived at the dining room, he opened the door for me and followed me into the room.

I gulped.

It seemed that all of the Uchiha elders and sub-leaders were there. At least twenty people. The murmuring that had been going on stopped when Uchiha and I entered.

I bowed to them, praying that I wouldn't embarrass myself.

"Good evening. I am Sarutobi Aya, the oldest grandchild of the Third Hokage."

The Uchiha Clan murmured greetings back.

"Please sit here Aya-sama," Fugaku indicated at an empty seat beside Mikoto. I made my way towards them and sat down. Then, Uchiha sat down beside his father. I panicked. He wasn't sitting beside me?

Our eyes met and he gave me a small smile and encouraging nod. I bit my lip but nodded back. I could do this by myself.

Fugaku raised his glass and said something. I was too busy forcing myself to smile and act normal to really hear what he said. Then, everyone else raised their glass. I followed and smiled pleasantly at everyone. We drank to something...and then dinner began.

Once they began eating, they noticed me less and started talking among themselves. I relaxed a bit more but still didn't eat much.

Fugaku and several of the more important leaders asked me several question. Fortunately, I was able to answer them most of them well and ask a few in return. The two times where I slipped up, Uchiha came to my rescue. He covered everything up smoothly and at the end of the dinner, I was so grateful to him that I was willing to forgive him for rejecting Yuri.

When everyone had finished eating, we moved to the room next door which was a sitting room. There, the Uchiha mingled and talked with each other. I stuck to Uchiha like glue.

"Aya-sama...there's no need for you to do this...you can handle everything fine by yourself," Uchiha whispered, glancing down at me.

"Easy for you to say and no I can't," I scowled back. "Uh oh...here comes another one."

Fugaku, Mikoto and one of Uchiha's uncles came up to us.

"How did you like dinner Aya-sama?" his uncle asked.

"It was extremely nice," I smiled back. Beside me, Uchiha chuckled softly under his breath. I secretly pinched his arm and the chuckling stopped.

"I'm glad to see you and Itachi are getting along well," Fugaku smiled.

"Extremely well," I laughed nervously. Uchiha let out a small cough and I made a mental note to confront him about this.

"Thank you so much Aya-sama," Mikoto beamed. I gave her a questioning look but it was Fugaku who answered.

"His mother was worried about him...he never seems to get along with any girls."

I opened my mouth to point out the absurdness of this statement but Uchiha cut me off.

"Otou-sama. I do believe Aya-sama is feeling a bit faint. I'll take her out to the gardens."

"Why of course!" Mikoto-san exclaimed delightedly.

"Please go on," Uchiha's uncle agreed.

"Take care of Aya-sama Itachi," Fugaku said meaningfully.

We bowed to them and Itachi quickly dragged me out of the room and down the halls. We didn't stop walking until we reached a small garden in the middle of the compound. It was beautiful...with a small pond and numerous kinds of flowers. The most beautiful was the cherry blossoms which were in full bloom. It had stopped raining but the raindrops on the plants reflected the silvery light of the moon.

I broke the silence.

"Is it me or do they have a misconception about you?" I demanded.

He gave me a look.

"Well it's true," I insisted. "According to Yuri, every single girl in Konoha who's around your age or even a bit older loves you. How could you not get along with girls?"

"Aya-sama...let's not talk about that," he said uncomfortably. Usually, I would've pounced on this chance to make fun of him but out of my gratefulness for his help tonight, I let it go.

"Did you confirm your suspicions?" I asked, changing the subject.

"Yes but I want to ask the Hokage-sama first," he said elusively.

"Fine," I pouted. "Jerk."

"I thought we got along _extremely well_," Uchiha raised an eyebrow.

"Well what was I suppose to say? I hate your son because he rejected my best friend?" I demanded. "And he's a huge jerk on top of that? Oh yeah, and he's so perfect that he annoys me all the time."

"Do you really think I'm perfect?" he asked softly.

"W-well...yes?" I answered, startled. There was this tone again.

"Perfect," he snorted. "Will you believe me if I say I'm not?"

"Prove it," I said defensively. He turned and looked at me right in the eyes. This time I did blush under the overwhelming force of his eyes. I tried looking away but found myself drowning in his ebony pools.

"I'm selfish," he said seriously.

"What?" I asked, surprised.

"I'm selfish," Uchiha repeated.

"That's hard to believe," I laughed. "Uchiha Itachi...selfish? How?"

"I can't tell you," he turned his head away again.

"Fine," I sighed. "Jerk."

Then, he started to laugh. It was the first time I had heard him genuinely laugh and I stared at him, fascinated by the sound. It was deep and melodious...the most beautiful laugh I had ever heard.

"It seems our conversations always end this way," he chuckled.

"Only because you make it so," I frowned, my mind still ringing with his laughter.

"I'm sorry Aya-sama."

"Aya," I said suddenly, surprising myself as much as him. "You're older than me right? So just Aya."

"You're the Hokage-sama's granddaughter," Uchiha shook his head.

"Fine _Uchiha-sama_."

He looked startled.

"You're the heir to the prestigious Uchiha Clan," I shrugged. "So _Uchiha-sama_."

"You are so difficult," he sighed.

"_Uchiha-sama_."

"Fine..." he sighed. "Aya...san."

I rolled my eyes. "And you were doing so well.

"You call me Uchiha," he pointed out.

"Good point Uchiha," I admitted unwillingly.

"Itachi," he said pointedly. I glared at him and he smiled back innocently.

"Fine you jerk," I growled. "Itachi."

"Aya-san."

"Arghh!" I huffed and turned away from him, angry at being tricked.

"I'm sorry," he laughed. "I couldn't resist teasing you."

I ignored him. Then, I felt a hand on my shoulder.

"I'm sorry. Please forgive me...Aya."

I blushed for the fourth time that night.

* * *

Please Review!


	3. Chapter 3

"Aya!"

"Yuri!" I waved, beaming as my best friend ran towards me. "How was the mission?"

"Completed!" she grinned, giving me the peace sign.

"Great! I'll treat you!"

"Yay!" Yuri slung an arm over my shoulder. "But do you have time? Aren't you supposed to be planning for the Chunin Exams? It's in three days isn't it?"

"We finished," I explained as we walked down the street, looking for a restaurant. "Itachi-san's just finalizing some stuff."

"Itachi-san?" Yuri looked at me, her eyebrows raised."What happened to 'Uchiha?'"

"Uh... yeah," I said. "It find kind of rude calling him 'Uchiha' and 'Uchiha-san' is too formal. We tried just using first names but then it got really awkward...so I added a honorific."

My mind floated back to the morning after the dinner party.

_ "Uh...I-Itachi...um...uh..." I frowned at the awkward atmosphere in the office. _

_ "Yes...Aya?" Itachi said my name carefully, as if it was something delicate. _

_ "Ugh...I thought using first names would let us get along better," I sighed, slouching forward onto the desk. "Now it's just awkward." _

_ "We could go back to being 'Aya-sama' and 'Uchiha," Itachi offered, looking slightly relieved. _

_ "Yeah but when I call you 'Uchiha', I can't help but be mad at you," I explained. "You were 'the Uchiha that rejected Yuri' for a while. I can't get that out of my head but I call you that."_

_ "I'm sorry," Itachi murmured. _

_ "Itachi-san," I said suddenly. _

_ "Hai," he replied. _

_ "I'll go with Itachi-san," I told him confidently. "That works the best." _

_ "As you wish Aya-sama," Itachi replied._

_ "Are you sure you want to go with '-sama'?" I grinned, a little relieved myself. The sound of him saying my name made me doubly self-conscious and jittery. _

_ "Hai Aya-sama." _

"How complicated," she laughed.

"Nothing's ever simple when it involves that guy," I muttered to myself.

"So what happened in the five weeks I was gone?" Yuri demanded as we walked into a barbeque shop.

"I planned for the Chunin Exams," I shrugged, sitting down across from her.

"Not that," she said impatiently. "With Itachi-kun."

"Nothing much," I replied, flipping through the menu. The waitress came and brought the coals for the grill. "We planned and planned everyday and then four days ago I went to his house for dinner."

Yuri and I ordered and the waitress left.

"Dinner?" she asked, curiosity glinting in her eyes.

"Yeah...I went in Ji-chan's place," I explained.

"As expected of the Hokage-sama's granddaughter," Yuri sighed enviously. "You have no idea how many girls want to get into that compound for just a second."

I told her about the dinner, leaving out any details involving me and Itachi.

"Sounds boring," Yuri frowned as the food came.

"It was," I agreed, ignoring a small tinge of guilt. "Tell me about your mission."

"Can't really," she said apologetically. "It was an Anbu mission this time."

I nodded understandingly.

"But...it was kind of weird you know?" Yuri's voice got quieter. "It was my first time on an Anbu mission that wasn't under Itachi-kun. You usually don't know the identities of the team members you're working with but I could always distinguish Itachi-kun. He was always so in control...so calm and prepared. He was just so perfect you could tell right away it was him. This time, the captain was different...he was good but he wasn't Itachi-kun."

I was silent. It was clear that Yuri still loved Itachi a lot.

"Aya...?" Yuri waved a hand in front of my face.

"Oh sorry," I blinked and flashed her a smile. "I was just staring at the food."

"Oh Aya," Yuri laughed. "Here, it's ready now."

"Thanks," I grinned, picking up my chopsticks. "So what are you going to do now?"

"Hokage-sama said he's giving me some time off because this mission took so long," Yuri shrugged, munching on a piece of meat. "I think I'll volunteer at the Chunin Exams though."

"Do you have any preferences on the position?" I asked.

Yuri's eyes were suddenly glinting. "Can you give me a position with Itachi-kun?"

"With Itachi-san...?" I hesitated. "He's...not going to be involved in the actual Exams."

"Why not?" Yuri asked, confused. "Didn't the two of you plan it together?"

"Well yes," I agreed. "But the actual examination is going to overseen by other Jounin. We're actually only responsible for the planning. The plan's already been given to Examination Committee. Itachi and I will be on standby in case something goes amiss but other than that, we're just normal spectators."

"Strange," Yuri frowned. "I understand why they got you to just do the planning...you've been doing office work for Hokage-sama for five years. But Itachi-kun...he's our best shinobi. You'd think he'd be involved somehow."

"Itachi-san's...going to be my bodyguard," I admitted.

"Seriously?" Yuri asked, her eyes widening .Then, she grinned. "You are so lucky. Why couldn't I have been born as Hokage-sama's granddaughter?"

"But if you were me, you wouldn't like him," I retorted.

"So after working with him for five weeks, do you hate him any less now?" Yuri smiled slyly.

"He's not as bad as I thought," I admitted. "I was pretty hostile towards him at the beginning though."

"...you didn't tell him that it was because of me...?" Yuri raised an eyebrow.

"Um...yes?" I asked.

"AYA!" Yuri exclaimed, blushing.

"Watch your potato," I snapped as I flipped the vegetable. "It's burning."

"Oh Aya!" Yuri buried her face in her hands. "How can I face him now?"

"Don't worry," I told her. "He's probably so forgiving and kind that he won't even remember it."

"But now he thinks I'm some clingy fan girl," she sighed.

"To be honest with you," I said seriously. "I think Itachi-san's going to have an arranged marriage."

Yuri blinked at me.

"He is the Uchiha heir right?" I reasoned. "And he's a genius that hasn't been seen for decades. Don't the clans always want to 'preserve the blood' or something like that? They'd want for him to marry some distant Uchiha relative."

"It's not like I haven't thought of that before," Yuri sighed again.

"Yeah but you still like him," I pointed out. "A lot."

"Yeah well emotions aren't something that you can really control," Yuri sighed. "Especially around Itachi-kun. Besides, a girl can dream right? Maybe I'll be the exception and the Uchiha clan will welcome me with open arms."

"If you say so," I shrugged, continuing to eat.

"But I'm surprised," Yuri admitted. "I thought that after five weeks with Itachi-kun, you'd fall for him too."

"Yuri, if you want to know my deep and most inner thoughts about Itachi-san, just ask," I rolled my eyes.

"Well...you might not tell me," Yuri muttered, poking at her bowl with her chopsticks.

"I respect him," I said. "His work is flawless and he is a complete genius at everything he does. But, the thing is, he knows it and that makes him annoying and stubborn. Also, he's a complete jerk sometimes. I like him as a partner in work and maybe as a friend, but any more than that, no thank you."

After that evening at the Uchiha's, I had gone home and thought about my relationship with Itachi-san. My conclusion the next day was that I was just caught up in the moment, hence the blushing and tingly feelings. In the end, he and I were merely acquaintances, maybe friends.

I held up a piece of meat with my chopsticks.

"In this lifetime, my two great loves, other than my family, friends and this village, is food and sleep. There is no way that I, Sarutobi Aya, will ever fall in love with Uchiha Itachi."

I glanced confidently and triumphantly at Yuri.

She was gaping, but not at me.

"Yuri?" I waved a hand in front of her face. She pointed behind me. Slowly, I turned around.

Uchiha Itachi.

After two days of not seeing him, I had forgotten just how good looking he was. His ebony hair, his porcelain like skin...and of course, his trademark look.

He was looking at me as if I was the most amusing thing in the world.

"That was interesting," he smiled.

"W-what are you doing here?" I stuttered, still reeling in shock.

"To eat Aya-sama. What else do you do in a restaurant?" Itachi chuckled.

"Then eat," I said stupidly, pointing at an empty table.

"Is this Hokage-sama's daughter Ni-san? She's not too bright is she?"

The comment brought me back to earth and scowling, I turned to glare at the speaker. My jaw almost dropped. Uchiha Itachi, in miniature.

"What are you staring at?" he smirked. Itachi whacked him lightly on the head.

"Excuse his rudeness. This is my twelve year old brother, Sasuke."

"Great," I sighed. "Uchiha Itachi number two."

"I will excuse us now," Itachi bowed slightly. "I promised him I'd treat him to dinner today."

Suddenly, I was struck with a stroke of inspiration.

"Eat with us," I smiled brightly. I heard Yuri choke.

"You are eating with your friend..." Itachi protested. "It would be rude of us to interrupt you-"

"It's ruder to refuse an offer to dinner," I retorted, pulling Sasuke into the seat beside me, ignoring his yelp of objection. "Besides, if it makes you feel so bad, you can pay today."

I smiled innocently at Itachi, pointing at the empty seat beside Yuri. He hesitated, before sighing in defeat and sitting down.

"Violent woman," Sasuke muttered beside me. Picking up my chopsticks, I stuffed a piece of meat into his mouth.

His shocked look was priceless before it turned into a murderous glare.

"Kids should be silent and eat while grown-ups talk," I told him sweetly.

He swallowed his mouthful before snapping, "You're only five years older than me."

"Three actually," I told him.

"You're not the same age as Ni-san?" Sasuke looked at me, surprised.

"Nope. I'm fifteen."

"You should treat Ni-san with more respect then. He's seventeen," he scowled. "Respect your elders."

"You're not respecting me," I pointed out, starting to eat.

He blinked.

"I like you a lot more than him, little Itachi-san," I chuckled. "I can at least win against you."

"I didn't think you liked winning that much," Itachi said, raising an eyebrow at me. "I'll keep that in mind the next time."

I raised my eyebrows at him before frowning. Itachi and Yuri weren't talking. They were just looking at me and Sasuke.

"Yuri was wondering about the Chunin Exams," I started. "Why don't you fill her in on the details?"

Yuri looked startled.

"Certainly," Itachi replied in that smooth voice of his. "What would Yuri-san like to know?"

"Oh um...just about the teams that are participating," she murmured quickly, blushing.

Satisfied to see them talking, I looked at Sasuke. He was frowning.

"You're going to get premature wrinkles," I told him.

"I don't know how Ni-san can stand you," he sighed, turning away from me. I smacked him gently on the head.

"You seem to have a very negative view of me," I chuckled. "I'll have you know that I am one of the prettiest and nicest girls in Konoha."

Silence fell at our table.

Yuri started giggling. Apparently she and Itachi were still listening to my conversation with Sasuke while talking to each other.

Itachi looked like he didn't know how to react and settled for a polite smile.

Sasuke was laughing incredulously.

I sent glares at all three of them.

"There's no point glaring," Sasuke snorted. "Even your friend's laughing at you."

I hit him on the head again and he stopped laughing, glaring at me reproachfully while he rubbed his head.

"Sasuke, be polite to Aya-sama," Itachi murmured but the edge of his mouth twitched upwards.

The four of us chatted, well Sasuke and I did most of the talking, for a while more before finishing dinner.

"I'll walk you home Aya-sama," Itachi offered, putting his wallet back in his pocket. Like the gentleman he was, he had paid the bill without complaining and now he was offering to walk me home.

"It's alright," I shook my head. "I can get home by myself. My place isn't far from here."

I snuck a glance at Yuri. She had an envious look on her face.

"Why don't you walk Yuri home? She lives further than me," I suggested. "You'll never know what will happen to a pretty young girl like her."

Itachi raised an eyebrow at me. "Unlike you Aya-sama, Yuri-san is a perfectly capable Anbu member."

Yuri looked torn between his compliment and her desire to have him walk her home.

"Look," I sighed, ignoring his jibe about my abilities to take care of myself. "If it bugs you so bad, Sasuke-kun can walk me home."

Sasuke opened his mouth to protest but stopped, after realizing that he was been chosen instead of Itachi. His older brother hesitated, before he sighed in defeat.

"Alright."

"Bye then!" I waved cheerfully before leaving, tugging Sasuke along with me.

"Why didn't you want Ni-san to walk you home?" Sasuke demanded once we had walked for a while.

"My friend likes your brother," I told him brightly. "So I did what a good friend would have done."

"Have you considered my brother's feelings?" he scowled. "He hates being set up."

I fell silent. True...I had been determined to help Yuri that I hadn't thought about Itachi.

"Don't do it again," Sasuke sighed. "Ni-san's probably won't show it but I'll bet you anything that he's really uncomfortable right now."

"Is he really that awkward around girls?" I wondered out loud.

"On the inside," Sasuke admitted. "He never shows it though."

"He's a really good actor then," I raised an eyebrow. "He never seemed that uncomfortable when we worked together."

"Are you trying to compliment yourself?" Sasuke scoffed.

"I'm just making an observation kid," I snapped. "Don't think that every girl in this village likes your brother."

"Don't call me a kid and I don't think it," he shot back. "I _know _it."

"Well then consider me an exception," I growled. "Like I said before, I will never fall in love with Uchiha Itachi."

Sasuke scoffed.

"You really like your brother don't you?" I smiled suddenly, noticing his pride when he talked about Itachi.

He blushed.

"Don't take me the wrong way kiddo," I said, my tone more friendly. "I don't deny your brother's amazing but I don't think he and I fit."

He 'hmphed" but the antagonistic feeling around him disappeared.

"So what are you right now?" I asked, changing the subject. "A genin?"

"Yeah...I'm taking the Chunin exams in three days though," he replied.

"Aren't you guys a bit early? You just graduated right?" I asked, taken aback. Were all Uchihas geniuses?

"Ni-san graduated at age seven and became a chunin at age ten," Sasuke scowled. "I'm already late."

"Hmm," I replied. "Who's your sensei?"

"Hatake Kakashi."

"Seriously?" I demanded.

"Yeah...why?" Sasuke gave me a surprised look.

"I heard Kakashi-san's extremely tough on his students," I explained. "But if your team is still under him..."

"We passed the test if that's what you're getting at," Sasuke snapped.

"Wow...you guys are really lucky though. Kakashi-san's really amazing," I told him as my house came into view. "He's a really funny guy too. Well...I'm home now."

Sasuke didn't move.

"You can leave now. Thanks for walking me home," I said, making a shooing motion with my hands. "Kids shouldn't be out too late."

"I'll leave once you're inside," he said, annoyed.

"Did your brother teach you this too?" I sighed, unlocking the front door and stepping inside.

He gave me a smirk before turning and walking away.

"Uchihas," I sighed, a small smile tugging at the corner of my mouth.


End file.
